Izzy Verdery

This truly cosmic fantasy YA novel Claimed By an Angel treads in Milton’s footsteps, creating a world at the mercy of a bickering, once-married, couple – God and Satan – who have decided to use two human pawns to settle their dispute once and for all. And this time? God is a woman.

Stella and Rachel are best friends. When they’re each claimed by polar opposites: Heaven and Hell, neither knows what happened to the other.

As soon as Stella finds out where Rachel is, she is determined to try and find and rescue her. As she gets her wings, learns some magic, and becomes someone worthy of angel hood in Heaven, she has to go, because Rachel’s in trouble. Meanwhile, Rachel finds herself on dark street, talking to a strange boy who claims he knows the Devil. Trying to navigate the World of Shadows is hard, but it’s even harder as she uncovers more about who she is, why she’s there, and just where Stella might be.

With the help of their friends, the two girls begin a quest that none of them fully understand to bring a millennia-old relationship back to the start. In this thrilling tale of friendship, first romance, and new beginnings, follow Rachel and Stella as they embark on a quest to find each other. New teenage author Izzy Verdery showcases the best of dystopian YA fantasy fiction. The story of Stella and Rachel will show the other side of history- the greatest love story ever told.

The Book Doctors:

First of all, we are kind of awed by the fact that you are a teenage author. That is so cool! We always say agents, publishers and readers are looking for stories that are familiar yet unique. Paradise Lost casts such enormous shadows over Western culture, you automatically give yourself a built-in fan base. And then you have the great twist that God is a woman. It feels biblical, but very modern at the same time. We also love that Satan and God were a bickering once-married couple. You also allude to other great stories, like Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Orpheus descends into hell to retrieve the love of his life. In terms of how to improve the pitch, we don’t quite get any vision of the “World of Shadows”. What exactly is she facing? You use the word “quest” twice in the same paragraph. Don’t tell us that your book is thrilling. Just show us. Similarly, don’t tell us that you are the “best of dystopian fiction.” Just show us how great you are. You could also use a couple of comparable titles, books that you think are similar.